Rise of a New Age
by Neeko96
Summary: Sequel to Rise of the Dragon Riders. Hiccup lives in relative peace in Berk with the village dynamic improving well with the addition of the dragons. Unfortunately, Hiccup will have to learn that peace is a constant battle and never permanent in the world of man. Forces are moving and it looks like the Dragon Riders better get moving too if the peace is to be preserved.
1. Chapter 1

**STOP! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ 'RISE OF THE DRAGON RIDERS', READ NO FURTHER! This is a sequal AU story for that so you will only understand half of what's going on if you read this first!=^-^=**

**OMG! My first Sequel! Yeah... it did take way longer than planned to hash out but I hope ya'll like it anyway. I also won't be posting every few days like I had with the first one. I just have too much on my plate for that. I would've had held this off far longer if I hadn't already promised ya'll one to begin with. So anyway, this takes place 3 years after the first one and so both Hiccup and Astrid are 21 and Mathias is 22. Since I'm going to weaving in the events of the second movie in the sequel I figured the ages should be similar. Please enjoy.=^-^=**

**Ch. 1 - Berk's Peace**

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><p>The stars in the sky twinkled high above the armed structure as a large shadow loomed ever closer. The orage glow danced through the small windows around the building and lite laughter could be heard within. As a crowd of shadows held pause on its perimeter a smaller one broke rank and moved closer. The quiet flap of wings was all that came from the mysterious shadow as it found perch on one of the structures many mounted weapons and something seemed to slink off its back. It crept through one of the glowing windows quietly and carefully.<p>

The still shadows around waited patiently for the cries of men and dragons alike. They broke the silence of the night as fire took hold onto a portion of the building. Men were shouting and the stomp of boots soon rang through. Roars followed suit as a column of fire burst forth from the building's roof and with it came several dragons. It was strange to the men at first glance. They were readying their weapons mostly out of instinct and reflex though what had actually happened seemed lost to them. They took aim at the fleeing beasts but soon found far more than they bargained for.

Out of the shadows burst forth dozens of dragons, too many to even count. One dragon in particular caught they eyes of several men. It was unusual to say the least. Chances are this dragon was a rare sight but what was even stranger was it seemed to be carrying someone upon its back. A man riding on the back of a dragon? What the devil is this? That's just some crazy tale, it couldn't real… but then it had to be didn't it? After all, what else could they be?

The men fired several bow lows through the air in attempts to tie up the flying beasts but the air was chaos. Just when they believed they were doomed, however, something far worst came to the surface. As soon as it began to emerge many of the men were smart enough to flee, while there were a few too terrified for words. Little detail about the creature could be seen for its sheer size and the darkness of the nearly new moon to cover it but they knew they were no match.

A loud bellow was all that was heard before its frozen reach blew through their stronghold. Destruction in its wake, the beast let out a loud roar and the dragon's followed as it turned away. The mystery rider took one last look at the beast's handy work, the twisted spikes, the frozen destruction of pieces mid-fall, and even the terrified survivors just trying to keep moving. The dragon hovered until the rider gave a light tap with their staff and it too turned to follow the call of the mighty beast of destruction.

As the men watched the shadows of their quarry leave on the low-lit horizon one man stepped forward and let out a barrage of curses to the sky intended for the attackers. "Damn dragon rider!" He let out as he calmed himself. He looked to his men who were trying to get themselves together. "We need to get as much together as we can. It's double time!"

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><p>The village bustled with Vikings and reverberated with cheers. Berk, what seemed to be a most unusual Viking settlement, sat upon the island of Berk. It used to have quite a pest problem but has since come to an agreement with the local pests. Yes Dragons were now rather common place on the island and the Viking inhabitants wouldn't have it any other way.<p>

Peace, strange but true, had come at last and now the people were enjoying one of their newest pastimes. The bleating of sheep could be heard just as the cheers calmed down as one of the many dragon riders scooped it up. "It's mine!" Shouted the round Viking as his Grunkle held tight to the fuzzy mammal in its claws.

"That's what you think!" Shouted another Viking from the back of his painted Nightmare. He swung down with his hammer but hissed as the Grunkle dodged with relative ease. The rider pulled his dragon up and they quickly leveled off not too far from a Zippleback. The painted dragon, with its equally painted riders, quickly made haste towards the boulder class dragon.

"Hey princess!" Fishleg's shouted as he held up the sheep. "Got another one for you!" He tossed it over and Roughnutt happily held it in her arms. Her twin shouted in triumph as he enjoyed taking the win, even if it didn't involve any effort on his part and the two of them set the Zippleback towards the goal.

"I can't believe you two!" Shouted a woman from behind. A blue painted Nadder quickly zoomed in beside the grunckle. "Both you and Snotlout are after Rough?"

Fish simply responded with a dream like expression. "But she's my goddess."

Astrid rolled her eyes as she pulled ahead. "But they're going to win at this rate!"

"Yeah!" Shouted Snotlout as he cut off Astrid's attempt to overtake the twins.

Her Nadder's superior speed easily moved them around the Nightmare and the Shield Maiden quickly positioned her dragon just above the two headed one. "Alright girl, keep steady." She then jumped off and landed on the Zippleback taking both twins by surprise as she grabbed the frantic sheep from their grasp's. "Oh yeah!" She shouted as she jumped again and her trusty dragon caught her seconds later. She made a beeline for the goal and threw the sheep into the blue painted goal and a horn sounded.

"Point!" A man shouted as he made a mark on the score board. Stoic, the village head, looked on from his honorary seat and motioned to the man keeping score. He nodded to the chief and waved over to Gobber who was standing ready at the catapult. "Alrighty, looks like the final lap!" He gripped the lever which held the black wool sheep in place. "Have a nice flight." He said with a grin which caused the sheep to freeze mid-chew and it was soon catapulted into the air.

It bleated in terror as it's fall began but was caught only seconds later by the Nightmare. "Alright! Got me the ten pointer baby!" Rough gagged a bit as she saw him look to her.

Tough simply laughed. "Sorry, still hates you!"

Astrid made a quick go at the sheep but Hookfang was quick to push her back with one mighty beat of his wings. "Alright Hookfang!" He then flew down and over towards Barf and Belch hoping to present the prize to the girl he'd hope to woe. Just as he was about to throw it a shill sound was heard and in a matter of seconds the sheep was gone from his grasp. A roar of the crowd was hear as the black dragon tore through the skies. "Hiccup!?"

It was safe to say no one saw it coming as the young rider made a beeline for the goals. Toothless, his dragon, seemed to be in competitive mode which could easily be seen on his face. After dropping the sheep into the black goal the crowd roared again and the horn sounded. A faint chant of Hiccup could be heard just before Stoic took to his feet. "Yeah! That's 0 for Snotlout and Fishlegs, 6 for Astrid, 8 for Rough and Tough, and 10 for Hiccup! Hiccup takes the games!" The crowd roared louder as the rider came around for a victory lap through the stands.

"No fair Hiccup!" The rider chuckled at Fish's complaint.

"Hey, I was just a bit late." Hiccup had Toothless hover in a sort of powwow with the other riders. "I just had a little something to finish up."

"Leave it to Hiccup to win in one shot." Remarked Astrid who was equal parts happy and equal parts annoyed.

"Way to kill a winning streak man." Tough complained under his skull patterned paint. "We were so supposed to win that!"

Hiccup gave a light chuckle as he pointed to the score board. "The points say otherwise."

"Hiccup!" The rider turned to see the village chief attempting to get his attention much to his own frustration.

He flew by quickly with only a few words to exchange. "Uh sorry dad, orders pilling up at the shop!" The large man let out a sigh as he watched him go.

Gobber placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just give him a bit more time. I'm sure he'll come around eh?" He then hobbled off to speak with Hiccup as Stoic pinched as his temple a bit.

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><p>Astrid crossed her arms in a huff as she leaned against a support beam of Gobber's stall. It was bigger than before and with quite a few new additions to the order listing. Hiccup was tracing out a new saddle on some leather at the work bench as he turned to Astrid with a grin. "So now you're mad that I took the win? I give you points, you get mad, and now if I take points, you're mad. This game has no real win does it?" He asked with a laugh.<p>

Astrid couldn't help but mimic the smirk he had on his face as she nodded. "Nope. I'll win on my own thank you." She then turned towards the line and then back at Hiccup. "Well your line isn't that long, so what was that with your dad?"

Hiccup instantly froze at the question and refused to turn and make eye contact. "Well….. I just wanted to get these done."

Astrid rolled her eyes as she walked over to the Viking. "Come on Hiccup. I know when you're lying to me. What's up? You and him have another of your famous disagreements?" She placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to tense for a moment before allowing his shoulders slump.

"….. Kind of….."

"What do you mean by kind of?" She prodded while Hiccup grew more nervous.

He reached for a few tools on a higher shelf as he responded just short of a stutter. "We didn't really argue…. He sprung something on me and I didn't stick around to argue with him."

Astrid rolled her eyes again. She knew Hiccup wasn't a fan of conflict. Of course he could easily deal with it when it came up, sometimes though, his hesitant nature would get the better of him. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the back room. She closed the door behind them before prompting him to continue. "So?"

Hiccup, now solidly backed into a corner by his girlfriend, gave a sigh in defeat. "Well, I woke up, greeted by the sound of Terrible Terrors singing. I sauntered down to breakfast thinking all was right with the world only to be greeted by my dad in one of his serious moods." He cleared his throat and held his chest out. "Son we need to talk." His sudden deeper tone mad Astrid giggle a bit at his antics. "You're the pride of Berk and I couldn't be any prouder. That is why I have decided to step down an-"

She cut him off out of excitement. "To make you chief! Oh my gods!"

Hiccup was a bit bewildered by her reaction. "Well, glad you're excited."

She turned to him in confusion. "Hiccup….. this is such an honor. Being chief….."

Hiccup stopped her before she could continue. "It's not my thing Astrid….. Chief is my Dad's thing. I'm just…"

She stepped towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just what? The best Dragon rider out there? The hero of Berk? Hiccup….. this is your thing."

He turned away from her. "No its not. I mean, you? You know exactly who you are, and always have. My dad is the chief, and I never met my Mom…. So what exactly does that make me?" He took a seat at the work bench and leaned on his arm. "I'm just…. Still looking I guess."

Astrid gave him a smile as she took a seat next to him. "I think it's right here." She stated as she placed a hand over his chest. "You're just looking in the wrong direction. It's not out there, you just don't see it yet." She then placed a kiss on his cheek as she pat his shoulder.

Hiccup let out a sigh as he turned to her. "You think so?"

The next thing they knew the door flew open to see Gobber. "Oi….. sorry. Didn't know you two were having a moment."

The two of them quickly stood up. "It's alright Gobber… we were just talking."

The smithy gave him a nod. "Alright, and speakin of talks."

Hiccup quickly passed him by. "I know what you're trying to say Gobber." The young man let out a sigh as he moved back over to work on the saddle.

"He's stubborn, you know that." Astrid pointed out as she followed him. "So are you going to give him an answer or you just going to continue to avoid him?" Hiccup stopped and was about to address the question when a familiar growl was heard in the distance. The dragon rider turned his head towards the sounds direction and his hunch was confirmed when Toothless cried out in excitement. He walked over to the window where his dragon was jumping around, causing the small line to lose any shape it had. "Is it scorch?" Astrid asked as she followed his gaze to the sky.

"Yeah, gotta be." Only seconds later did the small dragon come into view. "Hey little buddy!" The small dragon quickened his pace and soon wrapped his claws around his favorite human in delight while rubbing his rounded horn in the young man's stubble. "I guess you missed me as much as usual." Hiccup stated with a laugh. He then did his best to peel the dragon off of him so that he could get at the message tied to his back. The little Bane Hunter squirmed with every attempt until Hiccup finally succeeded and it climbed onto his shoulder once Hiccup had the note. "Alright, let's see here."

_Dear Hiccup, I hope this message finds you well. I was just writing to let you know Mathias was finally coming for a visit. He was down south for quite a while with Nightshade and was only back for a little over a week before he just up and decided to pay you a visit. He wanted it to be a surprise but I had a feeling you'd want to know. Please still act surprised alright? Don't keep him too long now. We are overdue for some quality time._

- _Frida_

"Nice of her to warn us ahead of time right?" Hiccup joked.

"Yes…. though now that I think about it, has he actually ever been here?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, even though I told him to come by several times. I usually end up going to visit him. Anyway, it seems he finally went to visit Nightshade's homeland… at least that's how it sounded."

Astrid gave a nod as she pat the little dragon's head. "Yeah, it'll be nice hearing it from a human perspective. I don't always understand it when Nightshade tries to tell me about it though I do know it's an odd place."

Hiccup gave a laugh at that. "You're telling me? Those weird games were where I drew the line."

"Better let Stoic know Hiccup. He's gonna need to get things ready if a royal is showing up." Gobber said it in a joking tone, but Hiccup knew he just wanted him to talk with his father.

"I let him know, but Mathias isn't going to expect some crazy reception. Frida wants it to be a surprise."

Gobber rolled his eyes as he turned to start on the forge which he noticed was out. "Come on Grump! You let the forge die again!" The large grunkle gave a lazy grunt as it shot out a lava blast that nearly destroyed the whole forge to the frustration of the poor smithy. He shook his head in disapproval. "That's it…. You're going up for adoption."

The couple merely looked on with entertained expressions as Gobber hobbled away to his work bench. "So I guess we should be ready to give him the grand tour?"

"Be sure to cover the highlights Hiccup like the stables, the race track,…." She stated as she listed them off on her fingers.

"Then you can help too." Hiccup responded to the teasing of his lady. "Berk's dragon human dynamic is a lot different to the one they have in Langholt so I'm sure Nightshade will love it too."

Astrid nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they barely have any dragon interaction there right?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah. The king has the dragon forces, which I hear Mathias is in, but no other towns I know of have adopted the idea. I was hoping for more of a change."

Astrid shook her head and gestured out the window at Berk. "Well you did all this to a village with 7 generations worth of dragon slaying history. I'm sure you and Mathias can get something done with enough time." She placed a hand on his shoulder and proceeded to lean on it. "Besides, when you two get together I doubt anyone can say no to the crazy ideas you come up with."

Hiccup raised a brow at the obvious tease. "I'm almost insulted." He quipped before turning back towards the half made saddle across the room. "Anyway, I should finish these last few orders if I'm going to spend tomorrow taking a royal around the village."

Astrid just leaned back against the window frame with a smirk. "I'm sure he'll just eat up the royal treatment." Then the both of them laughed at the joke knowing their mutual friend all too well.

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><p><strong>Ch 1 is done! Ch 2 is on its way and who knows how long itll take. (Your responses should help it along though *hint* *hint*) Anyway so be sure to direct me any questions or you can go back and re-read the first one if you've just forgotten something. Whatever works. Thanks for reading and I hope you will give me a review.=^-^=<strong>


	2. Chapter 2 - Tour de Berk

**Okay I know its been awile, but at least it came right. You can thank Ageis Dragon for this because he kept "reminding" me to get my lazy american ass in gear. Hope ya'll enjoy and I apologize for the slowish start but it'll be faster than the first story. The main plot should start rolling within a chapter or two but enjoy all the same.=^-^=**

**Ch. Tour de Berk**

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><p>It was early morning and the sun had just finished rising of the horizon when a light grey dragon zoomed across the water. "<em>Are you sure you know where you're going?"<em>

The agitated man on the dragon's back didn't take too kindly at the question. "Of course Nightshade. I know that you know that I know how to read a map!"

The dragon rolled her eyes as she faced forward. "_Yes but you've been going over that thing for an hour and we don't even know if we're going in the right direction…"_

Mathias peeked around the rippling paper with irritation in his eyes. "It's an island full of dragons, how hard can it be to find?"

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><p>Hiccup stood at the dock with his trusty Night Fury at his side as he waited to see his old friend appear on the horizon. The sun was almost at it's climax in the sky and that had the Viking worried. "Where are they?"<p>

He heard the howl of a nadder as Astrid landed behind him. "Not here yet?"

He turned and shook his head. "No… I wonder if he got lost?"

Astrid shook her head. "Come on Hiccup, he knows how to read a map."

The young man shrugged in response. "Doesn't mean you can't get lost." Right as he finished his statement both of them were able to see a greyish blur as it passed over them at a ridiculous speed. It continued out to the ocean before a tight turn revealed it to be a dragon. It was now torpedoing at the dock while leaving waves in its wake. Hiccup gave a wave know full well who that dragon was.

"Hey!" Astrid was quick to grab him out of the way as Nightshade darted straight forward with no hint of stop pinging. The two Viking and their dragons blocked the sea water as best they could after it came flying at them when the Moonstreak passed. The dragon gave a slight turn to the right and braked on her claws a few feet from her landing spot.

"Yeah!" Mathias shouted as he thrust both fists in the air. "That's what I call a landing."

"_I have to know where you got this need for some kind of dramatic entrance."_

"I'd like to know that too. Was the water really necessary?" Hiccup gripped as he shook some of it of his clothes along with Astrid.

Mathias gave a shrug. "I'm royalty remember? That just means I'm obligated to make an entrance."

"_More like, cause a scene."_ Nightshade commented as she pointed over to the crowd of Vikings that were now watching.

Mathias turned to her with a raised brow. "You're the one who said it would be cool to do it like that."

She shook her head in response. "_No, I said it would get everyone's attention."_

He gave her a disbelieving look before hopping off her back. "Anyway, did I surprise you? Bet you didn't expect us to show up out of the blue huh?"

Hiccup and Astrid traded knowing glances. "Uh yeah." Astrid started. "You really surprised us alright."

Mathias seemed a bit confused by how they sounded but shrugged it off and took a look around. "So this is Berk huh?"

Hiccup stepped forward. "Yup, where dragons can be found almost everywhere." As he said that, three Terrible Terrors tumbled off a roof by the dock and looked to be fighting over a fish.

Nightshade thought it was rather funny as she looked on with a warm expression. "_I was able to see that from the air. The other dragons really seem to be at home here."_

"You think so?" Inquired Mathias as he held his hand over his eyes to block out the sun. He took a quick look around. "I guess you're right."

Hiccup gave a rather proud laugh as he headed over to Toothless. "Yeah, we do our best to make them feel at home from custom stables to feeding stations and even a wash area." He then motioned the two of them to follow. "Me and Astrid will give you the tour."

Mathias stretched his arms a bit and gave a nod. "Sounds like a plan. I've been pretty pumped about seeing Berk since I got back from the Mediterranean." Both Astrid and Hiccup gave him confused looks as he started further into the village. He didn't notice till he turned around wondering why they hadn't started.

"The where?" Hiccup inquired.

Mathias nodded in understanding. "Oh yeah…. That's where Nightshade is from. I've spent the last few months down there. It's a lot further south than I first thought."

The Vikings instantly caught interest as Astrid took the lead. "So what was it like down there?" She lead the way down towards the center of the village as he answered.

"Well, it was pretty hot. I'm not kidding when I say hot either. It rained pretty often too."

Nightshade gave a sigh. "_He had problems adjusting to the weather when we first arrived."_

Mathias rolled his eyes. "It wasn't that bad."

"_We had to spend a week in a fishing village because you could barely keep food down."_

Mathias gave a dissatisfied grunt as he continued on. "Anyway, aside from the weather it was a very big place. We hit around five cities and several smaller villages. There were some pretty impressive structures too. There was this one that was devoted to one of their goddesses that was just huge. Think great hall only four times bigger."

"_One of my favorite buildings."_

"Anyway, let's get this tour underway!" Mathias shouted slightly as he gestured back to the village. "I wanna see how this place runs."

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><p>First stop was the stables. It had an entry way just up the dock which made it a quick destination. It also had a sort of runway protruding from the side for flying, but most of the structure was built inside the cliff face. Mathias gave whistle as he entered and saw a couple of stories worth of dragon nests. There were many Vikings inside tending to dragons and on the far wall, was a larger one with many hatchlings laying in hay. Each individual stable had a saddle hanger and a water trough for the dragon it held. "<em>This is wonderful Hiccup. I've never seen dragon human relations so interconnected before."<em>

Hiccup crossed his arms and gave a nod as he looked up. "Yeah, I've been working on it."

Astrid leaned on his shoulder as she added in. "Yeah, it's scary how much he can get done considering how often he's out of the village."

Hiccup seemed offended as he turned to her. "I'm not gone that often."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "You are when you avoid your dad." Mathias couldn't help being amused by the couple. He knows that Hiccup and his dad don't always get along but he still can't help being a bit jealous that they get along at all.

Nightshade was now exploring the area a bit and she now had the attention of quite a few of the Berkians. "Oy Hiccup!" One man waved the boy over. "This a new one?" Nightshade gave him a curious look before turning to see the stable he had been tending.

"Don't worry Kale she's just looking around."

The Viking seemed understanding but a bit put out as he couldn't finish his work until she left the stable. "Come on now dragon. Get on out."

Nightshade turned to him. "_Hmm?"_ She then complied and scuttled out and back over to Mathias. "_He seemed rather agreeable."_ Her words were lined with a bit of sarcasm as she looked back.

"He's not trying to be rude Nightshade, you were kind of in his way." Mathias pointed out.

"That and the dragons take after the Vikings around here; they're both stubborn." Hiccup joked which got bot Mathias and Astrid laughing.

"_Alright alright, I get it."_ "Don't be so sensitive Nightshade. Anyway, back to the tour."

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><p>Nightshade had just gone through the full dragon wash when Hiccup heard the call of one heavy set Viking. "Hiccup!" Fishlegs called as he and Meatlug landed by the exit. "Hiccup I heard you had this new dragon and…" He quickly noticed Mathias as he watched Nightshade shake and stretch. "Who is that….?" It only took a moment for Hiccup to remember that Fishlegs never had the chance to meet Mathias because he had to stay in Berk back then.<p>

"Oh yeah." Hiccup then moved over to him. "This is Mathias, and that's Nightshade there. She's probably the dragon you were wondering about."

Mathias turned at hearing his name and waved at the new face. "Hey…"

"This is Fishlegs." Hiccup introduced. "And his dragon's name is Meatlug."

The larger Viking gave a shy wave before noticing the dragon Hiccup had pointed out. "Oh my gosh!" He rushed over leaving his shyness behind him. "What kind of dragon is this!" He then started to take up several analytical poses as he looked the dragon over.

Nightshade found the boy's gaze more or less uncomfortable as she slowly backed up. "_Uh….. Hiccup…."_

He complied to her need and pulled Fishlegs back by his shoulder. "Whoa there, you're bothering her."

Fishlegs gave a sheepish expression as he apologized. "Sorry… got a bit excited there." He then turned back to the dragon in question. "So, based on primary characteristics I think this is a Moonstreak right?"

Hiccup gave a nod. "Yeah, this is the dragon I based the entry on in the book of dragons. She's the only one I've seen, but I bet Mathias could tell you more about them, right?"

Mathias gave a shrug. "Well, if you wanted to know about her then yeah, but Hiccup covered most of the bases with his entry. Anyway, what's next on our tour?"

Nightshade nodded in approval to his question. "_Yes, I'm very curious as to what other dragon accommodations you have made."_

Astrid hopped on Stormfly's back. "Then we'd better get going right?" The other two copied her motion. "Alright, we're going to finish showing Mathias around. I'm sure you'll be able to see more of her later." "Sure." Responded the Viking as he and Meatlug waved them off.

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><p>It took a couple of hours to really see the whole that was Berk for all it was. Nightshade, like the other dragons, seemed pretty complacent with the feeding stations as she partook of a quick snack. The hatchery was a very interesting spot for Mathias as Hiccup went over the concept in detail. Mathias had never witnessed a dragon hatch before and was lucky enough to witness it firsthand without harm due to Hiccup's forewarning.<p>

They took a few laps around the race track area which seemed to spark a short race between the three of them which Astrid won simply because she was trying the hardest. Both Mathias and Hiccup didn't see much point in getting in her way at the end. They stopped by Gobber's stall to see a rather lengthy line at the window, most likely due to Hiccup's absence that day. The smithy was nice enough to take a moment to help show him the work space and a few of their commodities such as teeth and saddles. Nightshade seemed very surprised and the list of dragon accommodations they had considering their history in the words of Hiccup.

After leaving the shop, the three of them took flight again and Hiccup pointed out the fire safety system they had in place. It was a very useful system considering just how often a misplaced puff of fire has quickly led to a burned out house. Their last spot of significance was the Academy. Hiccup was given permission to change the arena they used for dragon killing, into a dragon training academy. They landed just off the ramping pathway that led inside. As they dismounted their dragons Mathias first noticed the sound of a disgruntled growl. "What's going on here?" Hiccup took a faster stride as he approached.

"Well…. Snotlout's going over Nightmare training today I think." Astrid concurred. "Yeah, that sounded like Hookfang alright."

Hiccup lead the trio plus dragons down into the academy to see Snotlout and Hookfang having a minor disagreement. "What's going on Snotlout?" Hiccup inquired with his Nightfury following close behind. There were only three younger Vikings and one older one inside the academy with him. The group seemed to be enjoying the scene with their dragons.

The two instructors seemed at odds as they glared each other down. "Hookfang won't listen to me!"

"What else is new?" Astrid joked as she approached the Nightmare. She place her hand on his muzzle and he let out a soft growl of contentment. "You two are so alike it's scary…."

Hiccup could help but give a lit laugh as he watched the stubborn Hookfang turned to a sheep in Astrid's hands. "What were you trying to get him to do?"

Snotlout gave a very displeased look to the dragon as he crossed his arms. "He won't flame up when I tell him." Hiccup approached the dragon in curiosity. Everyone knew that Hookfang and Snotlout butted horns a lot, but it was mostly just Hookfang messing with him. This was odd though, Hookfang usually never missed out on a chance to flame up.

Hiccup took a spot by Astrid and looked over the dragon. "Something wrong?" Hookfang gave him a soulfull look before turning back to glare at Snotlout.

"What?" The Viking responded.

"Has he eaten anything today?"

Snotlout shook his head. "No, but I tried. He turned his nose up at anything I gave him."

Hiccup then turned back to the Nightmare in curiosity. "He doesn't look sick…. Hmm?"

Nightshade approached from behind him and gave the dragon a curious look. "_What is it that bothers you so?"_

"Bothered?" Hiccup questioned as he turned to her.

"_Yes, something seems to bothering him."_ Hookfang let out a low growl and she nodded in response. "_You don't know?"_

Mathias scratched his head. "So he's worried about something but he doesn't know what?"

"About what? He was fine and eating yesterday." Commented the frustrated Viking.

"What else happened yesterday besides the race?"

He took a moment to think before shrugging. "Nothing we don't normally do."

"What about the patrol last night?" Queried Astrid before turning to Hiccup. "Didn't your dad tell you that some of the dragons got spooked?"

Hiccup gave a nod. "Yeah, but he said they seemed fine by the time they got back to Berk and they never found anything odd on patrol." A Viking's life was always dangerous and precautions always have to be taken, dragons just make that much easier.

Hiccup furrowed his brow as he reached for a pocket on his waist. "I guess we just need to get him more relaxed then." He pulled out a few blades of Dragon Nip and held it to the beast's nose. "Go get some fish from the barrel and see if you can get him to eat now." He suggested as he felt the dragon relax his hands. He gently lowered the head down to the ground as Snotlout went to get the food. Nightshade gave an approving nod at Hiccup's actions.

"_You haven't changed. Even when you can't understand their words, you can read them like a book."_ "Dragon nerd." Mathias commented with a slight grin on his face.

"Tell me about it." Snotlout chided in as he held out a fish to Hiccup.

The young man took it and placed it into Hookfang's mouth. The dragon wasted little time in swallowing the food with pleasure. Hiccup then stroked the dragon's nose before standing up. "I'd just take him home for today." He then turned back to the prospective Nightmare trainers. "Class dismissed." The Berkians quickly shuffled out with their dragons and Snotlout followed after getting Hookfang compliant enough the walk. Hiccup crossed his arms and gave a sigh. "I bet those Berserkers are moving in again."

"They didn't get the message before when we lite half their ships on fire?" Astrid asked as she rolled her eyes and held Stormfly' head in her arm.

"I guess not. The dragons usually start getting restless when they sense approaching hostility."

"_This must happen often then."_

Both of them nodded. "Yeah, more recently to be honest. We've been having problem with hostile boats getting too close."

Mathias rubbed his chin a bit. "Yeah, now that I think about it, the King was talking about it too. Some minor disturbances in the North eastern waters."

"Was he worried?"

He shook his head. "Not really, its apparently been happening for years. It's one of the reasons he decided to make diplomatic relations with the Viking tribes in this area."

"Makes sense." Hiccup commented. "I guess it's only better that we now have dragons as allies then enemies."

"_Of course."_ Nightshade comment with a smile.

Mathias then stretched a bit. "Looks like Berk has its share of tustles too."

"Did you really have any doubts?" Astrid asked as she rolled her eyes.

"_It seems humans have conflicts just as dragons do, no matter why you go."_

Hiccup gave a nod along with Mathias before looking up at the slowly declining sun. "Anyone hungry?" He asked as he moved to exit the academy.

"Sounds good to me." Replied the trader with Astrid and the dragons following close behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright so ch 2 has ended. I like to think of this as a sort of reintroduction to the characters and also to the way I interpret the world in my fiction. I also added in a few places like the hatchery and changed up the basis of Academy a bit. I made it a sort of interum class sort of system. Aside from some other small details I referred to the "Art of HTTYD 2" for them. Also, if you're waiting for more of the twins, they'll show up next chapter.=^-^=<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 - A Strage Man on a Strange

**I'm sorry it took me a bit longer than planned to post this. I wanted to post yesterday but we're changing internet providers and I have to go without at home. Currently I am mooching of the school wifi. Anyway, the story starts to move in this one and I'm not going to hold off anymore. Please read the bottom AN for some important stuff alright!=^-^=**

**Ch. 3 - A Stranger on a Strange Night**

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><p>It wasn't too hard to tell that Stoic wasn't all that happy about Hiccup avoiding him all day. It was even more obvious when Hiccup walked in with an uninvited guest. Of course Stoic knew him and didn't necessarily dislike him, but given his reaction to being avoided, his anger became redirected. Result? Mathias got a death glare the minute he walked through the door behind Hiccup. During dinner, you could cut the tension of the air with a knife and all were privy to that fact. "So you just decided to drop by out of the blue eh?" Stoic asked with a sharp tone.<p>

He lifted his knife as he waited for an answer making Mathias a bit uneasy as he spoke. "Well, I remembered that I had never got around to seeing Berk so I thought I'd just come by and see what Hiccup was so busy doing." He scratched at the side of his face as he searched for another topic to talk about. Stoic seemed, for whatever reason, to be getting madder. "So…. Hiccup mentioned earlier you guys were having trouble with hostile ships."

Stoic raised a brow and lowered his prospective weapon after cutting at his food. "Aye, but it's nothing we can't handle. You best look out for your own."

The meal didn't spawn much more conversation and when it finished Hiccup let out a sigh. He stood up and guided his guest up to his room. Mathias was more than happy to follow and escape from the veteran warrior's watch. Once upstairs Mathias was able to let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Oh man….. I think your dad wants to kill me."

Hiccup took a seat on his bed and leaned on one arm. "No, he's mad at me. He's been trying to talk to me for the last few days and I've been avoiding him."

The trader raised a brow at him. "So Astrid wasn't kidding when she said you were avoiding him?"

"Nope… I've been doing everything the pasted few days to keep from being alone with him." A low whine was heard as the roof shook. Toothless quickly found his way to the roof latch and poked his head in. "Oh hey bud…." He watched as the Night Fury threw the door open and allowed the bright moonlight through the room.

"Looks like he's bored."

"_Me too, can we go for a night flight?"_ Nightshade asked as she too peeked her head into the room. Hiccup and Mathias shared a short laugh before climbing onto the roof via the large window.

* * *

><p>The two of them had been out for hours as the moon peaked in the sky. Nightshade's natural moon augmented bioluminescence beamed in contrast to Toothless' natural night camouflage. "It's pretty peaceful out here…. It surprises me I never came this way." Mathias commented as he gazed at the full moon.<p>

Hiccup leaned forward on his saddle. "It has its moments, but peaceful isn't really the word most of the time, especially in the village."

Mathias gave a lite chuckle to that. "Well, it's more peaceful than Langholt then. Harkon is still trying to kill me."

"_If he was really trying to kill you, I'd know."_

Mathias rolled his eyes. "Or you'd let it happen. He was only inches from my face with his sword only last week and you just sat there like he was handing me a sweet roll."

She looked back at the mock pout on the boy's face. "_As if I couldn't tell the difference between empty and full words, as you say."_

"Well you two get along as good as ever." Hiccup commented as he looked back their way. "Kinda makes me wish I had a sibling."

Mathias chuckled as he gave Nightshade a smirk. "Trust me Hiccup, you don't want one. Anyway," He started as he turned back to the Viking. "Why are you avoiding your dad? You guys got along last time I saw."

Hiccup hesitated to respond as he brought his hand up to the back of his head. "Well, Astrid already dragged it out of me, so I guess I can tell you too." He let out a sigh as he look back up at the stars. "My dad wants me to start taking over the village as Chief." When he didn't hear a response he turned to Mathias to see a somber expression on his face. "Mathias?"

The Trader snapped out of it immediately. "Oh… sorry, I guess I can see why you're avoiding it."

Hiccup seemed surprised at the older man. "Hmm? Well that's a different reaction. Astrid thought I should be excited."

"Well you should to be honest, but given your character I can understand why you wouldn't be. You were a lot like me growing up so I guess I can relate?"

Nightshade gave a nod as she turned to the Viking. "_Quite true Mathias. You should be honored to be trusted with such a position Hiccup. I am sure your father doesn't think light of you. Much like Mathias, you simply need time to come to terms with what has been presented to you. After, I'm sure you will realize you're potential._"

Mathias nodded in agreement. "Hiccup, I wonder if you've realized this yourself, but you make a great leader. Back when we first met, we barely knew each other, but I still felt comfortable doing what you said. It was like it seemed silly for me not to."

Hiccup gave him a confused expression. "What exactly do you mean by that? It's not like I was trying to make anybody do anything."

Nightshade raised a claw in admonishment. "_Ah, but a good leader doesn't have to. It is a natural instinct for individuals to follow the one most suited to lead much like dragons follow the Alpha. I have noticed this on my many travels and humans do this everywhere." _

Hiccup thought it over for a moment before responding. "Maybe….. I don't know."

Nightshade gave a nod. "_You'll find it Hiccup, of that I am most confident."_

Though see seemed like she was going to continue she stopped and raised her ears in alert. This motion was mimicked by Toothless who searched the dark skies for when it was. "What's wrong bud? Toothless?" Hiccup questioned as he pat the Night Fury's neck.

"_Something's coming!"_ Nightshade shouted as she darted to the left sharply. No sooner had she gotten out of the way did a sharp bolt of lightning cut through the clouds below them. Toothless, though rather spooked by the attack, dropped down below the clouds to spy the assailant. Nightshade needed a bit more time to recover as she steadied her flight and took up spying through the gaps in the cloud cover. "_Just what was that!?"_

Mathias wore an angry expression as he followed her example. "It had to be a dragon! Natural lightning doesn't come from the ground up. A skrill must be around here, it's the only one that breaths lightning like that." Nightshade darted down through the clouds to follow Toothless. "Where's the Skrill!?" Mathias quickly found his friend, but didn't expect to find another human.

Toothless and Hiccup hovered face to face with a strange dragon and a strange man upon its back. "That's not a Skrill Mathias." Hiccup commented without breaking his gaze from the man cast in shadows. A silvery shine reflected off both the dragon's and the man's eyes as they kept their gaze strong. "Were you the one that attacked us just now!?" Hiccup asked in a demanding tone.

He received no response as Mathias and Nightshade moved to hover nearby. "What's this guy's problem… and what kind of dragon is that?"

"Oi! Where is your ice spitter boy!?"

Both Hiccup and Mathias traded confused glances at the question. "Ice spitter?"

The mysterious man gave a chuckle. "You know, large, likes to swim, spits giant chunks of ice."

Hiccup responded while still wearing a confused expression. "I don't know what you're talking about! I've never even seen and ice spitting dragon!"

The man's eyes seemed to sharpen before the clang of metal was heard. "Are you sure boy? I don't want to have to force the information out of ya. I don't like to be killin more than what I'm paid for." As the clouds started to break the moonlight streaked across his large blade and the metal arms adorning his armor. From the distance, not much could be told of the man's appearance aside from the fact he wore armor and so did the dragon. "Now I'm goin ta ask you again. Where is the ice spitter?"

"_Stop this immediately human! We have no quarrel with you nor do we know of the dragon you speak of!"_ Nightshade was riled and her anger shone true in her eyes as the white glow of her fire readied itself in her throat.

The mysterious blue dragon the man rode seemed to react to her statement and pulled back from the other dragons in protest. "Oi! What'cha think you're doin!?" It gave a protestant growl in response. "…..hmmm?" He lowered his blade and after a few moments sheathed it all together. "Alright then." And without another word, the duo dropped down towards the water giving the two boys little time to react.

Their attempt to follow him quickly proved fruitless as the spotty cloud cover made for an excellent hiding place over the dark ocean. "Looks like he's gone." Hiccup said as he sighed in exasperation.

"Looks like." Mathias agreed. "But what was that all about? He shoots at us out of nowhere, shouts off demands about some ice spitting dragon and then leaves….."

Hiccup looked off towards the darkened horizon. "Well, we can only hope he doesn't come back because I have no idea what he was talking about."

"_I might."_ Nightshade commented as she turned to the Viking. "_He could be talking about a northern Alpha. I've heard tales of the Alpha that could spit ice like most spit fire."_

Hiccup leaned over his saddle in thought. "So an Alpha…. That spits ice? What kind of dragon is that?"

Nightshade gave a shrug like gesture as she started back towards Berk. "_I'm not quite sure myself, but I do know that it's large, and can't fly. It swims in the arctic waters below."_ Hiccup didn't respond but instead turned Toothless to follow the other dragon as he fell to deep thought.

* * *

><p>"You didn't kill them!?" Yelled an irate young man as he paced on the edge of an ice covered fort. The man being yelled at didn't seem bothered at all as he leaned against a frosted board and adjusted his armored bracers. "Aye, I was only told to kill your intruder. I don't like to be adden more blood if I don't have too."<p>

The other man turned to him in anger. "And how do you know they weren't who you were supposed to kill?"

The man's response was rather whimsical as he rubbed at one of the metal panels. "Would you calm down Eret, it was obvious they weren't the right ones. First of all you said there was only one rider aside from that huge dragon and the swarm of smaller ones. I ran into two riders. Second, these two had no idea what I was talking about when I asked then about the ice spitter."

Eret shook his head in frustration. "And how do you know they weren't lying!? Or even in league with the other rider!? Drago will have my head if this keeps up!"

The other man chuckled. "And that's why I'm here. You can rest assured that I'll be takin care of your do gooder dragon rider, but I'll do it my way." His tone suddenly darkened as he approached the man while still staying in a shadow. He reached out one arm and grabbed Eret by his shirt. "If you have a problem or get in my way, I'll be takin care of you too. I don't work for you, and I don't care what Drago does to you so you best be getting that through your head." He then let the man go and walked off through the shadow cast pathway around the destroyed fort.

Eret watched with a nervous expression as the man disappeared. "That man may scare me even more than Drago…"

* * *

><p>The morning came quietly, which was rare for the village of Berk. The standard hustle and bustle seemed restrained as the quiet mutter of gossip replaced it. Hiccup and Mathias, now inside the Dragon Academy, were going over the events of the previous night. "So this guy attacks you on a strange dragon, demands to see an ice spitting dragon and then ditches you?" Astrid summed up with scrutinizing tone.<p>

"Basically. We couldn't get much from the guy aside from the fact he was willing to kill to find this dragon of his."

"And the fact that he thought we had one." Hiccup added in. "Why would he think that? I mean, I may not have been able to see him very clearly but I'm sure I didn't know this guy, and I definitely would have remembered the dragon."

"_This is a puzzling matter indeed. This man must be trying to find this dragon for its power."_

Hiccup turned to the Moonstreak. "You mean they want the Alpha's power?"

"_Precisely. An Alpha can bend the will of other dragons. Imagine what a man could do with that much power."_

"Sounds like Drago Bloodfist." Mathias commented with a chuckle.

"Who?" Both Astrid and Hiccup questioned in unison.

Mathias was a bit surprised at that. "Don't you guys know him? My sister told me about him awhile back. Years ago he'd been going around trying to get village chiefs and noblemen to bow down to him in return for protection from dragons."

"_Ah! You mean the angry man you mentioned before we left to go down south right?" _

Mathias gave a nod. "Well I said madman, but yeah, that's him."

"Just how would he protect them from dragons?" Astrid asked as she gave him a wary glance.

Mathias scratched at the side of his face as he tried to recall. "Well, I'm pretty sure she said something about him controlling them somehow. It was a long time ago so she didn't have many details to give."

Hiccup remain quiet for a few minutes as he thought about this before turning back to the trader. "Do you think that maybe this guy is still out there? Maybe he was using the ice spitter to control dragons, and maybe, the guy who attacked us last night was looking for him."

They heard a laugh from behind them as Snotlout made his presence known. "You've got to be kidding me."

Hiccup let out a sigh in exasperation. "This is a serious conversation here."

"Oh come on Hiccup. A crazy guy who can control dragons and says he can protect Vikings from them? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!"

Mathias raised a brow. "Well it's not like you'd have a lot to compare it to in that case. It's not even noon yet."

"You think so?" Snotlout asked with a smirk as he gestured to the entrance. It only took a few seconds for his point to come across as a Zippleback wearing a large amount of wool started coming into the arena.

Hiccup watched with a dry expression as Ruff came down with a basket full of wool and Tuff had himself tangled in ropes. "Okay….. I know I might regret asking but what are you two doing?"

Ruff set the basket down by the wall and began trying to tug some of the ropes off of Tuff. "What does it look like?" She asked as if her intention was obvious.

"_It looks like you're torturing your dragon….."_ Nightshade was none too happy about the predicament of her fellow dragon though the Zippleback didn't seem to mind. Ruff turned her head in curiosity for a moment before concentrating on the ropes.

"Owww! Not so hard!" Tuff complained as his sister tugged again.

Astrid crossed her arms. "I've got nothing….."

Mathias shrugged in agreement. "Yeah, I can't tell what they're doing."

"Oww! We're disguising our dragon – oww! Careful! – as a sheep for the next race."

Ruff then proceeded to kick him in his shin. "You ruined it!" She yelled. "That was supposed to be a secret."

"Oh… right." Tuff said in realization, though he didn't seem to care at this point. "Oww!" All but Snotlout rolled their eyes at the dimwitted display while the former laughed.

Astrid walked over to help with the ropes a bit as she looked at her fellow Viking. "So given that you actually pass Barf and Belch off as sheep….. how did you plan to ride them if you were going to put them in the point net?"

Both Ruff and Tuff traded confused glances. "It's a work in progress." Was all they had to say in response.

Hiccup, seeing this going nowhere, dismissed the conversation as he headed up the ramp. "I'm thinking we should do a bit of looking around back where we met that guy last night. We were pretty closed to the northern peninsula of the continent at that time right?"

Mathias gave a nod as he followed. "Yeah, that sounds right to me." Astrid followed next with Snotlout.

"Hey!" Ruff complained after Astrid dropped her assistance. "I need a hand here."

"Yeah, how am I going to ride like this?"

Astrid dismissed their problem with a wave of her hand. "Figure it out."

* * *

><p>"So? Where are we now?" Astrid asked as she pull ahead to be even with Hiccup.<p>

He pointed off towards the sliver of land in the distance. "We're almost there. We were only a couple of miles off the coast before."

Nightshade scanned the waves a bit before turning. "_I believe we were further north Hiccup."_

The Viking agreed with little fight and the troop of dragon riders moved further north. "So we're close right?" Tuff asked as he hung precariously from the ropes looped around his dragon's neck. Ruff's solution, being crude at best, at least seemed to work for the most part although it may not have been comfortable. Tuff pulled at several of the robes around his waist. "Cause this thing is giving me a wedgie."

They passed a few sea stacks as they approached the shore line causing them to weave a bit. "Keep your eyes peeled, we don't want to miss anything." Hiccup commanded as he held point in the flock. The distances between the dragons started varying in small amounts at first but as th searching continued they spread further away.

It wasn't long before Hiccup and Mathias realized they could see any of the others in the area. "Hey Hiccup! Where is everyone else?"

Hiccup took a good look around and was surprised to see everyone else seeming gone. "I'm not sure….. they must have lost us while looking around."

"_Seems plausible. The mists around these sea towers can easily obscure one's vision."_ Nightshade concurred.

"Yeah, but then how do we find them?" Mathias asked with a twinge of worry in his voice. Being lost at sea isn't fun in his experience.

"We shouldn't have to. We've flown this area before. Astrid and Snotlout should easily be able to find their way back to the village. Ruff and Tuff have a way of doing it too but I'm still not too sure how." He stated with an amused smirk.

"_Yes those geminated humans are quite strange. Their actions towards their dragon disturb me."_

Hiccup turned to her with a brow raised before Mathias clarified it for him. "She was talking about those twins….. I think." He muttered the end while looking down to get a nod from the Moonstreak.

"_Indeed. I assume the word geminated is what you are curious about? It is a word from my home that means dual or twin. There is a star map to represent this concept in the skies at night."_

Mathias nodded in remembrance. "Oh right, I forgot about those." She simply shook her head as she heaved a lite sigh. This was not the first story he had forgotten and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Whoa!" They looked back over to Hiccup who was pointing over to several ice bergs off the coast. "I think I may have found where that guy came from." He commented as the two of them flew towards the obviously ruined wooden structure.

"There ice spikes sticking out all over this thing." Mathias observed.

"_Yes, this is supposedly how the Northern Alpha attacks. They can fire their spit and it freezes almost immediately on impact."_

"So when the guy said ice spitter, he meant it literally huh?" Mathias questioned as he looked on at the destruction with amazement.

"This is incredible." Hiccup directed Toothless to fly lower in order to get a better look.

"Maybe we should see if anyone's still there before we fly too low Hiccup." Mathias warned.

Hiccup pulled back at bit and turned to him with a nod. "Good point I guess. We don't know who could be around." As if answering their suspicions a roar rang out through the sky. The familiarity of the sound hit both riders and dragons as they went on the defensive. Their eyes searched around skies while being sure to stay close. It didn't take long for their gazes to fall to the same point where a sapphire blue dragon stood with a familiar armed rider.

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><p><strong>And so part three has come to a close and unfortunately I have left you on a cliff hanger. I hope ya'll can come to forgive me for giving into my own personal preferences. Anyway so we have a new character and he doesn't seem to be a good guy huh? He was proposed by one of the readers and I'll give formal credit and description when more info about him comes out. Until then, you know who you are reader and I hope I portrayed him well. <strong>

**Also! I am doing a collaborative story with my friend Ageis Dragon with the "Writers United Collaboration Union" and we just published the first chapter. I hope ya'll will take a look. If you interested, I have the link to it on my profile page or you can look it up by name "Dragon Origins". We hope ya'll will give us some feed back!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed my latest installment and will eggarly await the next one. Please Review!=^-^=**


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